Love was very much in the air at 2024 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
The industry’s best and brightest descended on the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Thursday morning for the luncheon that celebrates Black women. The sisterhood and community was thriving on the dark brown carpet, where stars shared their truths about love and empowerment.
Tichina Arnold, Lena Waithe, Yvonne Orji, Letitia Wright, Aldis Hodge and more stopped by on the carpet to dish about all things love. Keep reading to see their tips and insights about love and how it’s impacted their sense of self.
Tichina Arnold
Yvonne Orji
“I stay empowered and practice self love by surrounding myself with other empowered women, who are also in their growth journey and who are also dedicated. It’s not something they see on Instagram and [not] just a cool lifestyle. It’s about being around other people who are really growing at the same pace or actually somebody who is further along than me that I can learn from. Also somebody who is coming up and they can learn from me so I stay sharp.”
Lena Waithe
“Black love is everything. We wouldn’t be here without Black love. Two Black people got together and here we are. God loved us enough to bring us here.”
Aldis Hodge
“Black love is infinite and invincible. Even if we don’t always like each other. You know, love is what got us through. Love is what continues to get us through; our love for ourselves and for our people is what helps us supersede our own difficulties because we have gone through so much to live in this country, and [be] in relationships with each other. But we still not only survive, but thrive. So, for me, it is infinite and invincible. That’s just what it is. Because we are still here; we ain’t going away.”
DomiNique Perry
“I love affirmations. I get that type of self love. I love the fact that I give myself self love. Because I feel the way that I look in the mirror and appraise myself is the best kind of love I can get. Other people can get you love, but you don’t know if it’s genuine. You don’t know if they want something out of you. I only want the best out of me; I know me. To have that self love, for me, where I can look in the mirror and give myself affirmations and tell myself how amazing I am, how beautiful I am. It’s the best thing that I can have for myself. I think a lot of women would love that type of love. Black love is, in my mind, pure and genuine. Genuine love and affection. It’s nothing better than that in the world.”
“I have to keep the faith and I have to trust God. I think that’s the thing. My journey has been so up and down. I didn’t know which way was left or right. I’ve always felt like I’ve been drowning. I’ve always felt like God got me and because of that I’m like, ‘oh, that’s why I didn’t get this role.” That’s why I wasn’t invited into that room. Because when it’s finally my time, I’m going to be invited into the room.”
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Gail Bean
“I will have to say community love [has been the most important]. My village has been most impactful to me. They have poured into me my faith and poured into me, myself. Love is the foundation for everything else.”
Brandee Evans
“You gotta have your sisters back. I just think that we are so much better when we stick together as a Black women in power and industry. You have to be confident in who you are. Because you can’t compete with these other people. They are beautiful women left and right everywhere, so you just have to be confident in who you are. Black love is authentic. Because when you think about Black love, it’s a lot more things that go into our love and the things that we have to deal with when it comes to love in many ways.”
KJ Smith
“I’ve been so blessed to find someone who is not only a Black man, but someone who is vulnerable, someone who is aspirational, someone who pushes me. Someone who literally allows me to live in my feminine. We’re from the same place and we speak the same language and we like to say music. It’s just something that’s so whole about it, where I don’t have to leave any part of my life away from him because he understands every part of my life. We’re in the same industry. We love the same thing. So it’s wholeness.”
Letitia Wright
“Black Love is patient, kind, and long suffering.”
Khadeen Ellis
“Oh my goodness, staying empowered and self love is being in spaces like this. It’s one of those arenas and forums where we can really just love each other. Second to self love, for me, it’s my husband. It’s on ‘Black Love,’ we started with our journey [and] people kind of knowing about us through ‘Black Love’ with Cody and Tommy. It was an interview on our couch, when we were in Brooklyn, in an apartment. We were just dreaming about being bigger and having someone who’s alongside me, who not only loves me unconditionally, but he’s in support of all of my individual goals and dreams. That’s huge. So having a partner to live life with and to achieve things with and to dream with and to chase those dreams with. It’s everything, for me.”
DeVon Franklin
“Definitely self love [is important]. A lot of times we get the idea of God loving us or others loving us. But we don’t always catch the idea of us loving us. So practicing that self love understanding that you know who I am, where I am right now.”
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